This has been a criticism of Affirmative Action / DEI initiatives since they were first proposed. Unfortunately, I've never heard a good rebuttal to this argum

This has been a criticism of Affirmative Action / DEI initiatives since they were first proposed. Unfortunately, I've never heard a good rebuttal to this argument. As long as such a system is in place, the potential beneficiaries of such programs cannot be sure if they are there because of merit or just to fill quotas; potentially causing harm to the exact people you're trying to help.